Must-Try Gourmets In Otsu! The Top 10 Restaurants In Otsu!

Otsu City is located in Shiga which has the biggest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa. There are a lot of sightseeing spots including one of the world heritage sites, Hieizan Enryakuji Temple, and other historic buildings. But not only that, Otsu City offers a range of local gourmets! Now I will introduce the top 10 gourmets and restaurants that Otsu City proudly offers!

Samotoya

“Sakamotoya” was established in the Edo era as a restaurant for Zeze Domain. The building itself was designated as a tangible cultural property.

Funa Sushi is a traditional dish which has a long history of more than 100 years! It has been loved by the locals as a soul food in Shiga as it has nutritions such as calcium, vitamins, and lactic acid bacterium. They apply a traditional making process for Funa Sushi, and uses crucian carps caught in Lake Biwa to be pickled with Oumi rice. A balance of sourness and the taste is very nice. If you have a chance to visit Otsu, this is a must-try gourmet!

Kadoman

One of the most popular beef brands – Oumi Beef, a high quality beef which has a slight natural sweetness. “Kadoman” proudly offers this high quality Oumi Beef.

They have 5 kinds of menus including Sukiyaki, Yakiniku, and Oil Yaki etc. You can choose how you eat them depending on the menu; with ponzu, and Japanese dressing. Otsu has a beautiful Oumi Beef which you can try in a long established restaurant.

Mitsui Temple Chikaramochi

One of the shops which has the longest history in Shiga is this “Mitsui Temple Chikaramochi”, opened in 1872. This shop was named after Benkei who had a strong power to take a huge bell of Mitsui to Hieizan. The making process is traditional and there is no additives contained!

Especially the freshly made rice cake is beautiful. Warm, and chewy rice cake matches well with Kinako (roasted soybean flour) and it is suitable for a gift too. If you have a chance to visit Otsu, try this out!

Totochimaru

The popular Ramen shop amongst the locals – “Totochimaru”. It uses a chicken stock, and blended it with the fish broth. You can also choose either a light flavour or rich flavour for Shoyu Ramen, or they offer other menus such as Shio, and Curry. A thin noodles stick well with the broth and any menus are literally amazing!

Of all, cold noodles offered only in summer taste very nice. On some hot days, it is easier to have colder noodles with a light flavour and a wide variety of ingredients including spring onions, char siu, shiso leaf, and petit tomatos. You will sure be addicted to this Ramen!

Ousaka Yama Kaneyo

Eeels, with the sweet and salty broth, have a nice smell. Where you can try those beautiful eels is “Ousaka Yama Kaneyo”. Here, you can have a sophisticated dining experience surrounded by the garden. If you want to sit and relax, choose a private room!

One of the most popular menus here is “Kinshi Don”. There is a huge piece of eggs on top of Eel Bowl and its smell makes you hungry! Its appearence is quite impressive, and this is one of the local gourmets in Shiga.

Wurzburg

“Wurzburg” was named after the city of Wurzburg, which is a sister city of Otsu City, and as its name, you can experience the real German food. The restaurant looks as the old town house in Germany and is located near Lake Biwa, so that you can overlook the lake from the terrace seats. Not only food is beautiful, but also many people visit this restaurant to experience the beautiful views.

Of all, sausages are one of the most popular menus here! They offer a range of sausages with German beers. They match quite well!

Shijimi Chaya Koshu

Established in 1964 in Ishiyama Temple, “Shijimi Chaya Koshu” has been offering the local gourmets cooked with Oumi Beef. They start cooking once they have an order, and you are able to eat the hot Shijimi Meshi which lets you taste Oumi Beef and Shijimi clams together. The smell of burnt rice makes you hungry! And Obanzai, which lets you try the local ingredients of Oumi, is great.

Not only Shijimi Meshi, Funa Sushi is also an amazing menu to try. Once you are in Otsu, try those addictive menus of Otsu City!

Hamatei

If you want to try a wide variety of menus in Otsu City, Izakaya “Hamatei” is the one! Not only for dinner, but also for lunch, you can try Udon and Soba noodles, hot plate dish, and set meals.

Of all, “Rice with Cutlet and Thick Starchy Sauce” is the best! Thick starchy sauce with the bonito flake and kelp flavour is well poured onto the rice withcutlet! Although the sauce is quite sticky, the flavour is very light and keeps your body warm. This is a must-try restaurant!

Kraan Do

One of the most popular shops that specialise in “Yame Tea” from Yame City, Fukuoka is “Kraan Do” in Otsu City, Shiga. In this shop, a confectionary made of Yame Tea is what everyone loves! Especially having a shaved ice in summer is nice.

The ice is shaved well that it melts once you put it into your mouth and it goes well with the syrup made with green tea. This is the best local confectionary which is not too sweet. They proudly have a green tea ice and fruits ice – if you are planning to visit Otsu City by any chance, try this beautiful sweets!

ONZA

“ONZA” is a restaurant specialising in the local chicken directly run by the chicken farm. At the restaurant, you can try chickens that are raised in rich nature, Shamo, and Nagoya Cochin etc.

As this restaurant is owned by the chicken farm, chickens here are so fresh and nice! Especially Sashimi is one of the popular menus. It can be hard to make a booking, so don’t give up and try as many times as you can!

From The Traditional Cuisine To B-Grade Gourmets, Otsu City Has a Wide Variety of Food!

How was it? In this article, I have introduced the best 10 local gourmets and restaurants in Otsu City. Crucian Carps from Lake Biwa and the ones cooked with the local ingredients, they are all high quality cuisine! Those are what you can try only in Shiga, so enjoy the gourmets once you are in Shiga!